Google quietly brought Play Books today to four new countries: Austria, Belgium, Ireland, and Portugal. The aforementioned countries only had access to Google Play Apps and Music before, so I'm sure the book lovers among those of you who reside in the four territories are ecstatic.

The new Books section as seen in Ireland

Google has been very slow to roll out various content stores worldwide. The last time Play Books expanded was all the way back in March and only included one country - Mexico. Before that, it was India in February. And that's about it for this year. France got Books last July before that. Not a very good pace, is it? I realize content deals are very hard to strike, but Google, one of the largest tech companies in the world, is moving at a snail's pace.

All in all, Google Play Books are now live in the following 18 countries:

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

France

Germany

India

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Mexico

Portugal

South Korea

Spain

Russia

United Kingdom

United States

New Belgian, Portuguese, and Austrian Play Stores with Play Books are pictured above

If you live in Austria, Belgium, Ireland, or Portugal, head to the Play Store's new Books section and don't forget to download the Books app from the widget below.